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New Memphis F Raynere Thornton discusses his early days on campus and what he expects this season.

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February 4, 2016 - University of Memphis basketball fans head for the exits with four minutes left in the second half as the Tigers provide an underwhelming performance during a 20-point loss to Connecticut University at the FedExForum. (Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal)(Photo: The Commercial Appeal)Buy Photo

Memphis reached a 35-year low by averaging just 9,622 fans during the 2016-17 season, the program's lowest mark since 1981-82 when it still played in the Mid-South Coliseum. It's also 2,406 fewer fans per game, and a 20 percent drop, from what the Tigers averaged during former Coach Josh Pastner's final season.

Just three years ago, during the 2013-14 campaign, Memphis averaged 16,121 fans per game and ranked 10th in the country in average attendance. This year, the school fell to 46th nationally in attendance.

In a telephone interview Wednesday afternoon, Memphis associate athletic director Mark Alnutt noted the school altered its protocol for announced attendance from previous years and it affected the figures the university reported to the NCAA this year.

"We changed the formula to better reflect tickets sold and distributed and did more of an accurate account of the students that attended the game," Alnutt said.

Memphis reached an all-time high in attendance (16,933 fans per game) during the 2008-09 season, a year after it lost in the national championship game. But that figure has dropped in all but one season since 2010-11, including a 25.4-percent decrease in 2014-15 and a 13.6-percent decrease in 2015-16.

Since the 2013-14 season, Memphis has seen its average attendance fall by more than 40 percent overall. The Tigers nonetheless were second in the American Athletic Conference in average attendance last year, behind only Cincinnati (9,865).

The NCAA's attendance figures are based on the announced attendance reported at men's basketball games, not how many people actually show up.

At Memphis, for instance, Alnutt said in February that the Tigers were actually averaging about 6,300 fans per home game, including 7,100 for conference matchups, heading into the final two home regular season games of the 2016-17 season.

Memphis had announced crowds of 12,381 and 9,223 fans against Houston and Tulane, respectively, to close its home slate. During Pastner's final year, the Tigers needed a late-season push to exceed the 6,000-fan threshold. Alnutt confirmed Wednesday that Memphis had a slight increase in actual attendance this past season.

According to the school's agreement with the Grizzlies, Memphis receives an $800,000 annual payment when it averages more than 10,000 fans per game based on the arena's turnstile count. The Tigers receive a percentage of that payment when they exceed 6,000 fans per game for the season.

Memphis finished with a 19-13 record in Coach Tubby Smith's first season last year, including a 14-4 mark at FedExForum. The Tigers failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament for the third-straight time.